Becoming one of the US Forest Service's elite smokejumpers has been Jake Slade's dream. Parachuting into the path of a raging fire and beating it into submission isn't a job for the faint of heart, but after four years in Folsom, he's ready to prove himself. After surviving the grueling six-week training course, he thinks he's ready for anything nature has to dish out.

But when fighting a wildfire gets Slade involved in a string of murders deep in the mountains of California's notorious Emerald Triangle, Slade finds himself caught between a disgraced DEA agent trying to solve his final case and the ruthless cartel hit man determined to kill them both.

What began as a straightforward search and rescue mission swiftly turns into a harrowing run for his life ...